As we walk with Jesus and become more like him, we will recognize when we are unhealthy or others around us. We will know how to draw and live in healthy boundaries. We will be able to limit or end the unhealthy relationships that are destructive and toxic in Christ’s love. As we walk with Jesus in our healthy relationships, he will bless us. Disciples of Christ, it’s time to love and live like Jesus Christ in healthy relationships!
All people are not created or considered to be equal in the world’s values. Just look at the amount of discrimination, prejudice, segregation, fighting, and hate in the news and in our communities. The world influences us from an early age that we must fight for what we want or prove that we are good enough to deserve it.
The world often teaches us to take an offensive or aggressive stance in life to get ahead and achieve our goals and dreams. Although there are times we must push through, and we must prove our credibility, we always have a choice to be kind or cruel. Only we can choose our hearts and motives and how we will speak and act.
Once we are living in Christ’s love design, other people will notice a change in us. In Christ’s love design, we will understand what is healthy and what is unhealthy. We will understand the difference between forgiveness, trust, reconciliation, persecution, and how to draw and live in healthy boundaries.
People will continue to do what they know or what they can get away with in our sinful flesh. Unless you learn how to speak God’s life-giving words and implement them in your life, you will keep using words of death. When you proclaim to be a Christ-follower, your words must give life.
The other day, my husband and I were in the post office using the self-serve package kiosk. The line was out the door, and you could tell people had been waiting a long time. As we finished our transaction, an older woman walked through the door and headed up to the counter. A man about halfway up the line said,…
When we ask Jesus to be our Savior, he accepts us as we are. The problem is, we have all been trained from people with their imperfect guidelines and definitions of love and boundaries. Some of us may have grown up in healthy, loving environments founded on God. However, I would guess that most of us have learned imperfect and skewed ways growing up, and we have the scars to prove it.
Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). Either you are all in with God and Jesus, or you are still living for your sinful flesh desires. God tells us in the Bible how to know if we are truly followers of Christ.
And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what he wants us to? Someone may say, “I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.” But if he doesn’t do what Christ tells him to, he is a liar. But those who do what Christ tells them to will learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know whether or not you are a Christian. Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did. (1 John 2:3-6, TLB)
If you were not taught the path of living your life for Jesus Christ and your loving Father, God, then you will use your imperfect understanding of love by default. Without God’s truth and revelation, you will be a frustrated Christian, always trying to do better. Unless you study God’s word and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ every day, you will not see or understand how to live in God’s agape love.
When you love someone with all of your heart, you can’t wait to treat them well and to honor and respect them. Jesus died for you and gave you the gift of salvation. However, it is your choice to honor him by your devotion, service, and obedience as you live your life in on earth.
What or who you believe created you determine your value, morals, beliefs, and standards in life. When you believe that you are the result of the big bang theory or you evolved from any other imperfect organism on this earth, where can you find pure unconditional love? How can they teach you about healthy, respectful, and honoring morals, values, beliefs, standards, justice, grace, and unconditional love?